Trailer: The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies

Critical and audience reactions to Peter Jackson's second Tolkien trilogy have been more mixed than expected, but The Hobbit gets one more chance to end things on a high note in December with The Battle of Five Armies.

Though the previous film ended on the cliffhanger of Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) bearing down on Laketown, this first teaser is mainly concerned with the subsequent events of its subtitle; as arguments over how to manage the spoils of war spill over into an outright battle between former uneasy alliances. As with the previous films, it's clear that Gandalf's investigation into the return of Sauron (a vague subplot in the book) will have a much more immediate presence as well.

Of note: The trailer is scored chiefly to Pippin's song from Return of The King, suggesting that there may be a more explicit connection made here between the events of this story and Lord of The Rings than in previous installments.